with rivkah dahan march 2, 2011 non-frontal review techniques for the classroom

With Rivkah Dahan

March 2, 2011

Non-Frontal Review Techniques for the

Classroom

© 2011 Hidden Sparks

Our Guest:

Mrs. Rivkah Dahan is the newly appointed Director of Education for Hidden Sparks. A former mainstream and special education teacher, She holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education from City University of New York, is a certified advanced trainer for the Nurtured Heart approach, and has served as a mentor for The Jewish New Teacher Project. She was the founding director of Torah Umesorah’s Brooklyn Educational Resource Center serving teachers and principals nation-wide, as well as Director at the Teacher Center of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. She is the co-author of Creating a Learning Environment: The Ultimate Jewish Teacher’s Handbook and is a nationally recognized presenter.


Session Goals:

• Review the role of memory in learning

• Understand how games can help teachers reinforce lessons and help students with long term memory storage and retrieval of information

• Develop a tool chest of review games and techniques to enable students to enjoy learning


Overview of the Session

• Components of memory and their role in reviewing classroom material

• The benefits of using review activities• Solutions to some common challenges of using

review activities in the classroom• Practical Goals for Activities• Simple non-frontal review techniques &

strategies to help students improve their memory skills.


What is Memory?

“STORAGE”

“RETRIEVAL”

LONGTERM MEMORY STORAGE

Storing information for recall at a later time

• Filing information: store it, name it, & be able to get it out when needed.

LONGTERM MEMORY RETRIEVAL

Retrieving facts, skills, and experiences after an extended delay

• Recalling chunks of knowledge on demand

• Recognizing information that you’ve encountered before


Long Term Memory Consolidation…

…Storing information for recall at a later time

A student who struggles with long term memory storage might……Struggle to remember daily routines in school …Have difficulty remembering the sounds and names

of letters…Have difficulty learning new terminology, facts, and procedures i.e. Steps in long division…Have particular trouble with cumulative subjects…Struggle to recall information even when given recognition cues (like multiple choice options)


Long Term Memory Access…

…Recalling information after an extended delay, including facts, skills, and experiences

…Recognizing material, such as multiple choice option or remembering a face

A student who struggles with long term memory retrieval might……Have difficulty retrieving one half of a pair when given the other half (such as definitions with terms and names with faces)…Be slow to recall facts…Use incorrect procedure for a problem or situation


Why Use Games to Review?

How review games benefit you and your students:Games…

foster cooperation among students

individualize the learning process

develop and reinforce learning skills in an interesting manner

are intrinsically motivating get students to actively participate in the learning process free teachers to work with small groups or with individual students who require special help and encouragement

individual games enable students to work at their own pace allow for movement and activity


Long Term Memory Strategies

• Use physical movement, activities, role-play and hands-on learning to add a sensory element to cognitive activity.

• Review previous lessons/relevant material to trigger information in students’ long term memory.

• Conduct oral and written reviews daily and weekly, to build & associate learned concepts.

• Play review games that help memory – i.e. Concentration (using numbers, words, symbols),

• Play word games i.e. “Scrabble,” “Password,” and Jeopardy” to increase speed of retrieval.

• Create organizational activities for vocabulary words (organized by prefixes and suffixes), chemical equations (organized by type of reaction), math problems (organized by problem solving method), etc. at varying levels of difficulty.


Long Term Memory Strategies

• Have students:• Create flashcards, study guides, & test questions.

• SAFMEDS – Say All Fast Minute Every Day Shuffled

• Work in teams, drilling each other on facts using review activities.

• Write and submit questions they think will be on the test and use them as the basis for a review game.

• Self-test information by using self-checking review activities.

• Point out the importance of organizational structures for learning/understanding and studying/remembering.

• Organize words and concepts in categories in a game format.


What are Some Challenges of Using Classroom Review Games?

• “I don’t have time”• “I’m not creative”• “What about the student that can’t follow

directions?• What about students who don’t remember the

information?”• “I’m concerned about students becoming unruly”• “I have 35 students – how can I play games?”


Overcoming Stumbling Blocks

If you're concerned

about...

…games taking too much time away from learning

Then Think About...

…creating games with measurable goals that meet your learning objective.

…playing games with large classes and students getting unruly when they have to wait their turn for too long

…playing games in pairs or small groups.

…not knowing how to use games to assess student learning.

…making games self-checking. Have students record their answers.

…students getting frustrated with the rules or games requiring too much teacher intervention.

…test-driving the game before giving to students. Providing clear oral & written instructions. Making sure games are age appropriate – challenging but not too complex.

…games creating unhealthy competition among students.

…making game rules fair & allowing ample opportunities for all students to succeed.

…games being heavy to schlep and too large to store.

…creating games out of paper or store games in a movable bin that can be stored outside the classroom.

…not being creative enough. …listening to the rest of this webinar!


Types of Games

Card Games Board GamesRunning/Moving

GamesOther

Uno Candy land Hopscotch Connect the Dots

Headbandz Chutes and Ladders Fruit Basket

Go Fish Sorry Twister

Memory/Concentration Trouble Relay Races

War Trivial Pursuit Across the Sea

Old Maid Checkers Baseball

Skip Bo Payday Basketball

Bingo Charades

Connect Four Duck-Duck-Goose

Tic-Tac-Toe Bean Bag Toss

Bananagrams Bowling


Matching

Skills

skill \’skil\ :proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience

Sorting/Classifying/Grouping

Automaticity w/Sequencing

שמש

Comparing/ Contrasting

IdentifyingRecalling

Facts


General Studies Activity Ideas - Samples

Identifying Matching SortingGrouping

Classifying

Sequencing Recalling Facts ComparingContrasting

Locate parts of the body on a

picture

Match the word to the picture that has the initial sound

Sort objects by color/shape

Sequence the stages of tree

growth

Count from 1-10, sing the

ABC's

B's and D's & other commonly confused letters

Identify parts of a cell

Match the word to its definition.

Classify animals by habitat

Sequence the lifecycle of a

butterfly

List the 7 continents

Compare and contrast the

properties of a rectangle and a

square.

Identify the problems and solutions in a

current or historical event.

Match part of cell to its function

Sort food pictures by proteins &

carbohydrates

Sequence the US Presidents

List the character traits of one of the personalities

studied

Compare life in Jamestown during the

1600’s to life in Jamestown during the

1900’s.


Judaic Studies Activity Ideas - Samples

Identifying Matching SortingGrouping

Classifying

Sequencing Recalling Facts ComparingContrasting

Identify sound that object begins with

Match the food to its bracha

Sort symbols by yom tov

Sequence the alef-bet letters

List the things plants need to

grow

What's the same and

what's different:Rachtza/Urchatz

Identify in Hebrew what one wears in

different types of weather

Match picture to pasuk/phrase it

represents

Sort pesukim by who said them

Sequence this week's ketiva

words alphabetically

List the Parshiot in order

Hebrew Reading: Same sound/different

sound

Identify which shevet each

bracha in birchot yaakov was given to.

Match the 39 melachot w/av

melacha or toldah

Sort mitzvot by those relevant in Israel and

outside of Israel

Sequence the events in the

megillah/parsha

List the things that are

forbidden to a nazir

Compare and contrast the 10

dibrot in Parashat Yisro

and Va’eschanan.


Game Idea #1 – Egg Carton/Muffin Tin Toss

Players: 1-2 players.

Materials needed: Empty egg carton or muffin tin, 1 coin, 2 manipulatives, pen/marker

Setup: Write numbers in the bottom of egg carton. Put two manipulatives in the egg carton.

Gameplay:

• The student closes the lid, shakes the egg carton, opens the

lid and notices where the manipulatives landed.

• The student multiplies the 2 #’s together & solves the problem.

• Students take turns playing for 5 minutes scoring 1 point for each equation solved.


Game Idea #2 – Memory/Concentration

Players: 1 to 6 players. Deck: Up to 52-card deck.

Object of Game: To collect the most pairs of cards.

Setup: Shuffle the cards and lay them on the table (or for larger cards lay on floor), face down, in a pattern (e.g. 4 cards x 13 cards).

Gameplay: • Youngest player goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.

• On each turn, a player turns over two cards (one at a time) and keeps them if they match. If player successfully matches a pair, that player gets to take another turn.

• When a player turns over two cards that do not

match, those cards are turned face down again and

it becomes the next player’s turn.


Game Idea #3 - Graffiti Review

Players: Individual students or groups of 2-3 students

Materials needed: Chart pack paper & markers

Object of game: Write everything you know about a topic in a limited amount of time.

Setup: Spread out or post chart paper at stations around the room (wall, desks, floor). Each piece of chart paper is given a title/topic.

Gameplay:

• Each group starts at a different piece of chart paper• Students write everything they know about topic at that station.• After 30 second or 1 minute interval – students rotate to next

station• After students have gone through all topics, gather papers• Read results as a class• Correct and complete information on pages


Game Idea #4 – First Things First

Players: 2 Deck: 8 cards

Materials needed: 3x5” index cards, answer key

Object of game: Be the first team to discard the 2 cards containing events that are not relevant to the topic and then arrange the remaining cards in chronological order.

To Prepare Cards: Create for each pair of students 1 set of 6 cards containing events that occurred during a particular historical time period and 2 cards that contain random historical events.

Gameplay:

• On the “go” signal, each pair places cards face up on table/floor in front of them. Students remove non-relevant cards & putt remaining cards in chronological order.

• Once all cards are sequenced, students use the answer key to check for accuracy.


Game Idea #5 – Simply Kosher

Players: 2-4 players

Object of Game: Sort items by category

Materials needed: 2 shoeboxes (1 labeled “Kosher” the other labeled “Non-Kosher”), 2 bags containing plastic animals or flashcards with photographs of animals

Gameplay: • Students take turns choosing items from their bags

and placing them in the correct shoebox.


Game Idea #6 – Duck, Duck, Goose

Players: 4 to 6 players or Whole class.

Materials needed: Lists of categories

Object of Game: Help students review

Setup: Students sit on the floor/chairs in circle facing inward. 1 student in each group is “it”.

Gameplay: • Kids sit in a circle facing each other.

• One person is "it" and walks around the circle tapping people's heads and saying whether they are a "duck" or a "goose".

• The "goose" gets up and chases "it" around the circle.

• The goal is to tap that person before they are able sit down in the "goose's" spot.

• If the goose is not able to do this, they become "it" for the next round and play continues.

• If they do tap the "it" person, the person tagged has to sit in the center of the circle. Then the goose become “it” for the next round. The person in the middle can't leave until another person is tagged and they are replaced.


Game Idea #7 – Human Board Game

Players: 2-6 players Deck: 12-24 cards

Materials needed: construction paper/card stock, marker, cube-shaped box covered contact paper. Glue black circles or numbers to box to resemble a large die

Cards: Create the game board using posterboard or construction paper size numbers for the students to stand on. This is the game board.

Prerequisite: Knowledge of multiplication/addition facts.

Object of game: Be the first player to reach the end of the “board”/ Review multiplication/addition facts

Setup: Lay cards face up on floor in front of each team .

Gameplay:• Players line up in front of “board”.

• Players take turns rolling the die, and walking # of spaces on die.

• Players must complete the math equation (either multiply, add, or subtract) created by the number they stand on and the number they rolled on the dice. i.e. 5 (number spun on die) multiplied by 8 (8 is on the square). If player lands on occupied space, player on space moves back 3 spaces.

• Incorrect answers move back one space. (Rules can be added or deleted depending on your class)

• Winner is the first player to reach the end of the game board.


Sample Activity Ideas – Judaic StudiesDo this on your own:• Choose a subject. • Think of one activity for

each skill that you can incorporate into a game for your class.

Learning Objective:Students will sort

pictures of objects onto

the day they were

created.

SORTING

Learning Objective:

Students will identifyWhat was created

on Day #6.

IDENTIFYING

Learning Objective:

Students will listwhat G-d created on

each day.

RECALLING FACTS

Learning Objective:

Students will sequence

pictures in the order in

which they were created.

SEQUENCING

Learning Objective:Students will match

a picture of a creation to

the # of the day on which

it was created.

MATCHING

Learning Objective:

Students will comparewhat G-d said after the

first day to what G-d said

after the 3rd day.

COMPARING

Subject:

בריאת

העולם

Creation of

the World


Additional Game Resources

• www.Chinuch.org Chinuch.org is a website on which Jewish educators can share curricula, instructional ideas and best practices. The site also has a forum that provides an opportunity for teachers of students with special needs to discuss current issues in the field, get advice from other professionals and network with other teachers andparents in similar situations to theirs.

• Dr. Sivasailam Thiagarajan (Thiagi, for short) is a well known expert in the area of learning games. http://www.thiagi.com/games.html provides 100’s of free games and activities that engage participants & keep them interacting with each other and with the content.

• SAFMEDS Instructions can be found at Indiana Designs Equitable Access for Learning’s website www.idealindiana.com/mods.asp?id=85&sectionID=138

http://www.chinuch.org/

http://www.thiagi.com/games.html

http://www.idealindiana.com/mods.asp?id=85&sectionID=138


Think of one game/activity that you can play with your class tomorrow that will

reinforce one skill.

Some Final Thoughts – Activity Ideas for YOUR Class


Upcoming Hidden Sparks Without Walls Sessions

For more information visit: www.hiddensparks.org

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Assessment and Differentiated Instruction, with Dr. Jane Gertler


Contacting Hidden Sparks

Contact Rivkah Dahan:

[email protected]

Contact Hidden Sparks:

www.hiddensparks.org

[email protected]

(212) 767-7707

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


About Hidden Sparks

Hidden Sparks is a non-profit fund whose purpose is to help children with learning differences reach their full potential in school and life. Hidden Sparks develops and supports professional development programs for Jewish day schools to help increase understanding and support for teaching to diverse learners.

Guided by a philosophy that by helping schools meet the needs of children with learning and behavioral differences, ultimately all students will benefit. Hidden Sparks’ programs combine professional development in learning and positive behavioral support, guided classroom observation and one on one coaching. The Hidden Sparks model and program is currently in 21 Jewish Day Schools/Yeshivot in New York and 7 in Boston, through a partnership with Gateways: Access to Jewish Education.


Comic Relief - Memory


Brainstorming

Get those gaming juices flowing! How many games can you think of in each of these categories?

Card Games Board GamesRunning/Moving

GamesOther


Classroom Games Cheat Sheet

Preparation for games is imperative to their success. A teacher should be thoroughly familiar with a game before presenting it to a group. In conducting

games, remember the following key words:

Motivation is the key to success, and the teacher/facilitator is the key to motivation. S/he must always present the games enthusiastically and intelligently.

ORGANIZEthe players before the game begins.

STATEhow the game is played.

ASKif there are any questions.

PLAYwith a minimum of interruptions

STOPthe game when the students

are still having fun.

?

...instructions


Sample Activity Ideas Planning Sheet

Learning Objective:Students will sort

SORTING

Learning Objective:

Students will identify

IDENTIFYING

Learning Objective:Students will recall

RECALLING FACTS

Learning Objective:

Students will sequence

SEQUENCING

Learning Objective:Students will match

MATCHING

Learning Objective:

Students will compare

COMPARING

Subject:

Do this on your own:• Choose a subject. • Think of one activity

for each skill that you can incorporate into a game for your class.


What is Memory?

Briefly registering new information

• Only lasts for seconds• A very small space to hold

information• You need to decide quickly “save or

delete”

Mentally juggling information while using it in some way

• Actively using the information• Memory for keeping things together in your mind while it

is being used.• Being able to hold different pieces of information and use

them at the same time.• Can be seconds, minutes, or hours• The process of taking information coming in and filing it

in long term is active working memory.

Storing information for recall at a later time

• Filing information: store it, name it, (& be able to get it out when needed).

Retrieving facts, skills, and experiences after an extended delay

• Recalling chunks of knowledge on demand

• Recognizing information that you’ve encountered before

“STORAGE”

“RETRIEVAL”


Game Idea #1 – Egg Carton/Muffin Tin Toss

Players: 1-2 players.

Materials needed: Empty egg carton or muffin tin, 1 coin, 2 manipulatives, pen/marker

Setup: Write numbers in the bottom of egg carton. Put two manipulatives in the egg carton.

Gameplay:

• The student closes the lid, shakes the egg carton, opens the lid and notices where the manipulatives landed.

• The student multiplies the 2 #’s together & solves the problem.

• Students take turns playing for 5 minutes scoring 1 point for each equation solved.

Variation: 1. Write vocabulary words in egg carton/muffin tin. Player 1 tosses coin into egg carton/muffin

tin & observes where coin has landed. Conjugate the 2 words listed. Give yourself a point for every correct answer.

2. Play continues with players taking turns tossing coins and conjugating words.

Judaic Studies Variations:Early Childhood: alef bet, Lower Elementary: holiday dates, biblical dates, months of year, identify rashi letters, beurei milimUpper Elementary:

General Studies Variations: Early Childhood: numbers, colors, abc, shapes, symbolsLower Elementary : math facts, contractions, Upper Elementary: history dates, vocabulary words, science terms


Game Idea #2 – Memory/Concentration

Judaic Studies Ideas:Early Childhood: pictures/words, alef bet letters Lower Elementary: chumash words/translations, prefix-suffix/definitions, holidays/dates, print/script, yachid/rabim, beginning of tefilla/end of tefilla Upper Elementary: words/definitions, word/shoresh, General Studies Variations: Early Childhood: upper case to lowercase letters, picture to initial consonant, numbers, patterns, shapesLower Elementary: states/capitals, print/script, math facts, questions/answersUpper Elementary: explorer/discovery, historical event/date, body system/organs

Players: 1 to 6 players. Deck: Up to 52-card deck.

Object of Game: To collect the most pairs of cards.

Setup: Shuffle the cards and lay them on the table (or for larger cards lay on floor), face down, in a pattern (e.g. 4 cards x 13 cards).

Gameplay: • Youngest player goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.

• On each turn, a player turns over two cards (one at a time) and keeps them if they match. If player successfully matches a pair, that player gets to take another turn.

• When a player turns over two cards that do not

match, those cards are turned face down again and

it becomes the next player’s turn.


Game Idea #3 - Graffiti Review

Players: Individual students or groups of 2-3 students

Materials needed: Chart pack paper & markers

Object of game: Write everything you know about a topic in a limited amount of time.

Setup: Spread out or post chart paper at stations around the room (wall, desks, floor). Each piece of chart paper is given a title/topic.

Gameplay:

• Each group starts at a different piece of chart paper• Students write everything they know about topic at that station.• After 30 second or 1 minute interval – students rotate to next

station• After students have gone through all topics, gather papers• Read results as a class• Correct and complete information on pages


Game Idea #4 – First Things First

Judaic Studies Variations:Early Childhood: alef bet, 10 makkot, order of passover seder, Lower Elementary: parshiot in each sefer, parts of tefilla, 12 shevatim, months of the year Upper Elementary: Kings of Yisrael, Kings of Yehuda, 39 melachot, timeline of Jewish History

General Studies Variations: Early Childhood: Abc’s, daily schedule, seasons, days of week, months of year, Human AlphabetLower Elementary: lifecycle of a butterfly, US presidentsUpper Elementary: government chain of command, food chain, states that joined the union

Players: 2 Deck: 8 cards

Materials needed: 3x5” index cards, answer key

Object of game: Be the first team to discard the 2 cards containing events that are not relevant to the topic and then arrange the remaining cards in chronological order.

To Prepare Cards: Create for each pair of students 1 set of 6 cards containing events that occurred during a particular historical time period and 2 cards that contain random historical events.

Gameplay:

• On the “go” signal, each pair places cards face up on table/floor in front of them. Students remove non-relevant cards & putt remaining cards in chronological order.

• Once all cards are sequenced, students use the answer key to check for accuracy.


Judaic Studies Variations:Early Childhood: holidays, colors, shapes, letters, seasons, Lower Elementary: fathers/sons, families, Hebrew grammar rules, brachot, ,זכר-נקבה, יעקב-עשו, שבטים-אמהות עבר-הווהUpper Elementary: 10 commandments listed parshat yitro & v’etchanan

General Studies Variations: Early Childhood: colors, shapes, numbers, texture, pictures, seasons, clothing, fruits/vegetables, magnetic/non-magneticLower Elementary : mammals/amphibians, customs/countryUpper Elementary: geographic regions, climate, pros & cons of being in North/South during Civil War, monarchy/democracy

Game Idea #5 – Simply Kosher

Players: 2-4 players

Object of Game: Sort items by category

Materials needed: 2 shoeboxes (1 labeled “Kosher” the other labeled “Non-Kosher”), 2 bags containing plastic animals or flashcards with photographs of animals

Gameplay:

• Students take turns choosing items from their bags and placing them in the correct shoebox.


Game Idea #6 – Duck, Duck, Goose

Variations: Rhyming words (cat, bat, mat, CAKE), Yom Tov articles (shofar, machzor, honey, SUKKAH), dikduk words (rotzah, rotzah, rotzah, rotzeh), Initial consonant words (bat, ball, bill, CAT)

Players: 4 to 6 players or Whole class.

Materials needed: Lists of categories

Object of Game: Help students review

Setup: Students sit on the floor/chairs in circle facing inward. 1 student in each group is “it”.

Gameplay: • Kids sit in a circle facing each other.

• One person is "it" and walks around the circle tapping people's heads and saying whether they are a "duck" or a "goose".•

• The "goose" gets up and chases "it" around the circle.

• The goal is to tap that person before they are able sit down in the "goose's"

spot.

• If the goose is not able to do this, they become "it" for the next round and play continues.

• If they do tap the "it" person, the person tagged has to sit in the center of the circle. Then the goose become “it” for the next round. The person in the middle can't leave until another person is tagged and they are replaced.

with rivkah dahan march 2, 2011 non-frontal review techniques for the classroom

Documents

memory skills

learning slide

long term memory storage

long term memory retrieval

role of memory

hidden sparks overview

longterm memory retrieval

retrieval of information